New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- Indian equities have been the worst-performing asset class in 2026 so far, while US stocks and gold have delivered double-digit returns. The divergence highlights how differently investors would have fared across markets and asset classes over the first nine months of the year.

According to a research presentation by Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Indian equities, represented by the NSE 500 TRI, declined 6.81% between January and 30 September 2026. In contrast, US equities, represented by the S&P 500 TRI, gained 12.75%, while domestic gold prices rose 11.56%.

The gap between Indian and US equities stood at 19.56 percentage points. Gold also outperformed Indian equities by 18.37 percentage points over the same period.

US e...